Power and steering mechanism



Aug. 29, 1939. D, D. RAZE 2,171,294

POWER AND STEERING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 9, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aiorneys Aug. 29, 1939. D, RAZE 2,171,294

.POWER AND STEERING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 9, 1958 "2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zy- 5 7 Q I 31 fitveniar AZZorneys Patented Aug. 29, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to power and steering mechanism and is particularly adapted for use with children's self-propelled toys.

Most childrens toys are so constructed that they are self-propelled and will travel either in definite or adjustable circular paths or in a straight line, and in either case should the toy encounter an obstacle its progress will be halted. Unless the child has an unlimited and unobstructed floor space which will permit the toy to run practically indefinitely without encountering an obstacle, it is frequently necessary to pick up the toy and start it in a new direction away from the obstacle which has stopped its progress. With toys of the present type it is necessary to go to the device and alter its course by manually turning the wheels thereof or to run the toy on a track such as in the case of toy railway devices.

It is, therefore, a general object of my invention to provide a self-propelled device which when it encounters an object too high for it to surmount will automatically steer itself away from the obstacle and continue in a different direction.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a device which will continue to meet and steer away from successive obstacles until the device has lost its motive power.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of this general type which can be incorporated in many different types of vehicle constructions and forms representing other objects while still maintaining its principal function, self-propulsion and automatic steering.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the views, and, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the opposite end thereof;

Fig. 4 is a substantially axial vertical section through the outer casing with the power mechanism shown in full;

Fig. 5 is a section taken at right-angles to Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a modified adaptation shown in side elevation;

Fig. '7 is an enlarged plan View of the power mechanism shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged end elevation of the power device shown in Figs. 6 and '7;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of another modification of my idea with a portion of the casing broken away; and

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal vertical section through the device shown in Fig. 9. 5

In Figs. 1 through 5 there is shown a cylindrical or drum shaped body having a cylindrical portion H and end portions l2 and Hi. The cylindrical wall ll preferably has a pair of spaced friction bands I 4 which serve as tires upon which the body 10 runs. A suitable spring motor I5 is indicated diagrammatically and is mounted on the removable end Wall 12. The spring motor may be provided with a winding key is and a brake mechanism IT. The motor has a shaft I8 extending therefrom upon which is mounted a gear !9 which rotates with the shaft. The gear l9 meshes with and drives a suitable gear which is secured upon a shaft 2|. The shaft 2| is journalled in the body end portions I2 and I3, reduced portions 22 and 23 20 of said shaft fitting in apertures in said end portions. It will be noted that the end portion I2 is threadedly secured to the cylindrical body portion I! to hold the parts together and to retain the shaft 2|. A weight 24 is suspended from an arm 25 25 which as shown is secured to the central portion of the shaft 2i. When the spring motor is wound and released by manipulation of the brake element ll, the device may be set upon the floor or some other relatively smooth surface and the motor through the gears l9 and 20 will tend to move the weight forwardly or to the right in Fig. 5. This forward swinging of the weight 24 will overbalance the weight of the device toward the right and the cylindrical casing will roll until the motor is run down or until the device hits an obstacle. When an obstacle is encountered, the casing cannot move any further in the direction in which it was running, and the motor will continue to act upon the shaft 2! and weight 24 and will rotate the same. The right-hand end of the shaft 2| as illustrated in Fig. i has an extension 23 which carries a plate 21, said plate being eccentrically mounted upon the shaft 2 l. In its normal running position the circular plate 2'! lies in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and in that position the plate or disk 21 is maintained out of contact with the surface upon which the device is rolling. However, when the cylinder is stopped by an obstacle, the shaft and plate 21 begin to rotate, the plate will come in contact with the surface upon which the device was rolling, and will swing the cylindrical body around in a different direction from which it had been running,

and when the shaft and plate 2! have rotated u nearly a complete revolution, said plate will rotate out of contact with the floor or other surface and then the cylindrical body will again begin to roll under influence of the spring motor and weight 24.

Thus as long as the spring motor is suificiently Wound the device can roll across a surface steer away from any number of obstacles which might stop it. For that reason it is unnecessary to pick up the device and start it in a new direction each time it encounters an obstacle. It will be readily seen that the device can be started and each time it is run in any direction an entirely different path of travel will be described due to the fact that its change of direction is controlled automatically whenever it strikes any obstacle suificient to pre vent the cylindrical body from rolling forward.

In Figs. 6, '7, and 8 there is shown a different embodiment of my invention and in that construction the cylindrical casing 28 is provided with a spring motor and a central shaft 29 which is geared to the motor as in the first described embodiment, but there is no weight suspended from the shaft. A fork element 30 has its ends journalled to the ends of the shaft 29 and the fork has a swivel post 3! extending upwardly therefrom, said swivel post being adapted to be mounted in the forward end of a vehicle such as the steam roller or tractor 3'2 indicated in Fig. 6. Secured to a suitable portion of the body of the vehicle 32 as by straps 32a is a ring gear which has a relatively broad smooth surface 33 and a series of teeth 34, said gear lying in a horizontal plane. One end of the shaft 29 has a gear 35 secured thereto and this gear is adapted to mesh with the teeth 35 on the horizontal ring gear. One portion of the gear 35 is flattened as at 36 and when said flattened portion is adjacent the ring gear the two gears will of course, not mesh. A spring element 3? is secured to the end of the shaft 29 adjacent the gear 35 and the free end of said spring is adapted to bear against the broad smooth surface 33 of the ring gear. The spring 3? is of such strength that when the device is put in operation said spring will have greater resistance to rotation of the shaft 29 and the gear 35 than the force necessary to cause the drum or the cylindrical body 28 to rotate under influence of the spring motor. Thus the device will travel over a fiat surface until an obstacle is encountered. When the vehicle does meet an obstacle it cannot, of course, proceed any further in that direction. Then the spring motor will cause the shaft 29 to rotate and overcome the resistance of the leaf spring 3?. The drum does not rotate while shaft.

29 is turning. With rotation of the shaft 29 the mutilated gear 35 will rotate and said gear will come into mesh with the teeth 34 on the hori-.. zontal ring gear. Since the ring gear is stationary relative to the drum 28 and the gear 35-, the springmotor will cause the gear 35 to rotate in mesh with the ring gear and turn the drum in a diiferent direction until the fiat side 33 on the gear 35 again comes to its uppermost position and the drum will have been turned away from the obstacle which stopped it. Thereupon the spring 31 will have come into contact with the smooth surface of the ring gear creating sufiicient resistance to rotation of shaft 23 to stop its rotation, and the drum will begin to turn over and pull the vehicle behind it. Since the drum is swivelly connected to the body of the vehicle, said body will swing around to the new direction to which the drum has turned and the toy will follow this direction in a straight line until some other obstacle is met. Then the drum will automaticaly turn to a new direction. This steering arrangement can be substituted for the weight and eccentrically mounted disk described in the first embodiment when the device is incorporated in a vehicle as described. The vehicle 32 may have a bumper 320 which is adapted to contact an obstacle encountered by the device so that the ring gear teeth will not mar the obstacle which might be an article of furniture, the finish of which would otherwise be damaged.

In Figs. 9 and 10 there is shown an inverted hollow casing 38 mounted on swivelled rollers 38a and which has secured thereto a ring gear 3231) supported by straps 40 from the inner upper portion of the hollow casing 38. A drum 39 is adapted to have the same type of spring motor mounted therein, said motor being geared to a shaft 4| as in the other constructions described. A fork 42 is journalled to the ends of the shaft il as in the embodiment shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, and said fork has a swivel post 63 which is journalled in a bearing M, the latter being secured to the under side of the casing 38. The swivel post 53 extends upWardiy through and above the casing to permit axial movement thereof and it may be provided With a pointer 55 or any other suitable device which indicates the direction in which the drum 3S will roll. This swivel construction permits the casing 38 and drum 355 each to rest on a supporting surface independently of the weight of the other. A small gear 416 is secured on the shaft 4| and the gear ie; is adapted to be constantly in mesh with the ring gear A flat spring Gla is mounted for rotation with the shaft 3! in the same manner as the spring Si in the foregoing embodiment. This spring normally contacts the ring gear 381) to prevent rotation of shaft iii when the drum is rolling unobstructed. When an obstacle is encountered the drum as cannot roll any longer and the shaft 61 and gear 66 be rotated to swing the drum to a different direction until the forward direction of travel of the drum is away from the obstacle and the spring Ha again contacts the gear 3%. Thereupon the drum will again begin to roll to carry the device away in a different direction. Due to the swivelled rollers, the casing will move with the drum but the casing will not swing around. Inether words, the casing may be traveling sidewise relative to the original direction of movement even though the drum has turned to the new direction. The new movement is, of course, in a straight line.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have provided a relatively simply constructed yet extremely interesting power and steering device Which will move over a relatively flat surface, until it encounters an object, whereupon. it will steer away from the object and proceed in a different direction. The extent of turn can be regulated in the first two embodiments disclosed but it is preferred that the device he so arranged that it will describe at least a steeringacticn so that it will steer away from or paral-- lel to a wall which it might encounter at rightangles. Of course, if on the first steering movement the device does not clear the obstacle, the steering action will be repeated until the drum or cylindrical casing is free to roll. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 9 and 10 it is so arranged that the steering action continues in one movement until the casing 38 is freed from the obstacle.

While I have described my invention in connection with small toys run by spring motors, it will, of course, be understood that the motive power need not necessarily be provided by a spring motor and the adaptation of my invention need not be limited to small toy devices.

It will further be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement, and proportions of the various parts Without departing from the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automotive device, a rotary self-propelled power mechanism including a power plant and a rotatable element connected therewith, means for resisting rotation of said element only so long as said mechanism can move freely across the surface upon which it rests, said rotatable element being adapted to rotate when said automotive device meets an obstacle and steering mechanism connected with said rotatable element and adapted to steer said device in a different direction from its original direction of travel when an obstacle is encountered.

2. In an automotive device, a rotary self-propelled power mechanism including a. substantially circular body having power means therein, a movable element connected to said power means and supported by said body, a weight suspended from said movable element to prevent movement thereof when said body is being moved by said power means over a supporting surface, and a steering element connected to said movable element and being out of contact with said supporting surface when said body is moved, and said movable element and said steering element being adapted to move when said body encounters an obstacle, and said steering element being so constructed that movement thereof relative to said body will bring the steering element into contact with said supporting surface to steer said body in a different direction than its path of travel before encountering an obstacle.

3. In an automotive device, a rotary self-propelled power mechanism adapted to move across a supporting surface until stopped by an obstacle, a structure connected to said self-propelled mechanism and adapted to be moved thereby, a gear element on said structure adjacent said power mechanism, a mutilated gear supported by and connected to said power mechanism for rotation therewith, means for keeping said gears out of mesh during movement of said automotive device, the means for keeping said gears out of mesh being yieldable when said device meets an obstacle to permit meshing of said gears, and said power mechanism being pivotally connected to the structure which it is adapted to move whereby meshing of said gears and rotation of the gear connected to said power mechanism will cause steering of the power mechanism away from the obstacle which the device has encountered.

4. In an automotive device, a rotary self-propelled power mechanism adapted to move across a supporting surface, a structure pivotally supported by said power mechanism, a. ring gear rigidly supported by said structure, and a gear supported and driven by said power mechanism, said last mentioned gear being in constant mesh with said ring gear, the weight of said structure being such that the tendency of said power device to roll is greater than the tendency of said power driven gear to steer said power device relative to said structure when the path of movement of said power device is unobstructed, and said power device being adapted to rotate the gear connected thereto about said ring gear to steer said power device when an obstacle is encountered.

5. In an automotive device, a rotary selfpropelled power unit, a steering device connected to said power unit, said steering device being inoperative during rotary movement of said power unit, and the connection between said power unit and said steering device being movable to actuate said steering device, and said power unit including means for operating said connection and said steering device only when said rotary power unit has been halted.

DOUGLAS D. RAZE, 

